My Journey with Journaling

At the most recent HerCampus meeting, the group was tasked with writing letters to our future self. As I sat down to write my letter, I became immersed, filling the page completely with reflections and wishes for the future. When I looked up, I was one of the only people left in the room. After writing, I felt rejuvenated and my mind felt clearer than ever. Writing this letter to myself reminded me of writing in my diary, which I hadn’t done in over a month. At this moment, I wondered to myself, why did I stop writing in the first place? 

I’ve kept a diary, journal, or whatever you’d like to call it since early middle school. Thinking about it now, the first time I ever wrote the words ‘Dear Diary’ was probably in fourth or fifth grade. The diaries of my elementary and middle school years were covered in emojis and sparkles, with some containing locks and keys so my deepest secrets weren’t revealed. While my diaries today aren’t covered in sequins and heart-eye emojis, the contents are still similar in some ways. School, friendships, crushes, aggressive rants, stressors, passions and humbling moments have been threaded throughout my diaries, expressed more maturely as time went on. 

So recently, in the past year, I’ve been in a writing rut. Now that I’m in college, I find myself ‘too tired’ to write, choosing to end my day doom scrolling instead. I know that looking at a screen right before I go to sleep is not ideal, but I can’t help myself. However, when I wrote my letter to my future self at HerCampus, I realized how much I had to say and update myself on. On the days where I don’t have time to call my family or friends, my diary can serve as another outlet to vent or talk about my day, so I don’t keep things bottled up inside. 

I say all of these things and I know the value of journaling, but am I really going to stick with it this time? Well, now that I’ve written this article, I don’t have much of a choice! I have found that one of the best ways to hold yourself accountable is by telling others and letting them hold you accountable as well. The goal I am going to strive for, at least for now, is to journal once a week at a minimum. It could be on a weeknight or a Sunday morning reset. While I am definitely busy, I’m not so busy that I can’t spare an hour or less of my week to write. As I start fresh yet again, I encourage you to do the same!

• diary
• journaling
• reflection
• self reflection
• writing